I never thought taking Latin in high school would be relevant two decades later, but here we are. Time flies. This is the first non-English episode title I could translate.
And 'Max', well, that would just be a person's name.
A lot happened in these two episodes, and they were two of the better mythology arc episodes we've seen in a while.
I think I prefer this part of the mythology - the plots introduced in 'Deep Throat' and 'Fallen Angel' and 'E.B.E.' - much more than the more involved, convoluted plots of 'Tunguska' and 'Terma' and the episodes in their thread. This seems a little simpler.
I like that these episodes reintroduces Max Fenig from all the way back in Season 1, which now seems like so long ago. I watched 'Fallen Angel' in January, which really wasn't that long ago. I hadn't even started this blog yet - I don't even know if I wrote anything about that episode, because it was in that first batch of 16 that I used to catch up. (Amusingly, had I just written and queued up posts then, I'd be a whole month ahead now. Wish I'd thought of that in January, but then, you'd still be reading about 'Home' or something today.)
Of course, the episodes reintroduce him only to kill him. Well, probably.
While there's a clear conspiracy going on here, it's less involved and less intricate than those involving the black oozing goo. The military is covering up the apparent fact that they shot down a passenger plane while attempting to intercept an alien craft. But it's not just that - there's an apparent device, let's call it a McGuffin (this show employs a lot of those, doesn't it?), which is the real cause of the alien arrivals and the military coverup.
As in most stories, chasing this thing around the country results in all kinds of tragedy, because Agent Pendrell, whose first name Scully doesn't even know, is in the wrong place at the wrong time and gets shot by Creepy Moustache Guy, who was aiming for the Air Force air traffic controller who happened to know the truth about his orders and what he saw on the radar.
Also, Creepy Moustache Guy. What a terrible shot you are. I mean, we've seen this sort of thing before with the incompetent assassins who were trying to kill Scully and murdered her sister instead. The bad guys just aren't very good at their jobs, are they?
And as if that's not bad enough, there's a bit that's a lot like some of the early season 1 episodes, in which Mulder gets himself into a tremendous amount of trouble by sticking his nose where it probably doesn't belong, though really, if the military wanted to keep the alien wreck that protected, maybe they'd have, I don't know, made it obvious? It seems silly to simply pretend there's nothing there and let anyone wander in and then get in trouble. As far as I can tell, Mulder was simply swimming in a public lake.
But it does lead to one of the most hilarious scenes ever, because Mulder has to try to escape on foot in a wetsuit. I'd love to see the mugshots from that arrest.
However, I think the truly important thing in these episodes is the development of Max and and Sharon. Mostly of Sharon, since Max is dead, but it's an interesting exploration of the subculture that Mulder himself would surely be a part of if he didn't have an otherwise secure government job.
In the end, it's a sweet and sad story, both about Max and Sharon, and about Mulder and Scully. They've all lost someone in these episodes, and despite her reservations about alien abduction stories and UFOs, Scully is able to connect with Sharon by the end, over something so mundanely human as loss. And despite Mulder's dismissiveness about the birthday gift he gave to Scully, I think she's got it right.
Or maybe her experience with Pendrell and with Max and with Sharon put her in a frame of mind to be very profound about something otherwise insignificant. Even if she was skeptical about it at the beginning, it has more meaning to her now. And for a change, Mulder is the one who doesn't realise it.
And regardless of whether or not Max was right in his conspiracy theories (and of course we know he mostly was) and whether or not Sharon was unstable and delusional, it doesn't really matter. They connected and were friends - so close that Sharon claimed herself as Max's sister. And now she gets to carry on the work he was doing in trying to expose the truth, which is really all either of them ever wanted.
That said, I don't think we'll see her again. This story had a strong feeling of closure to it. It was Max's story, and they did a pretty amazing job with its ending.
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